HEALTH TWO EBOLA PATIENTS RELEASED --Nancy Writebol 8/19; Brantley 8/21

[Countrymouse]

I know TygerKitten has already posted this to the bi-weekly Ebola thread, but I felt it merited its own thread to give everyone a "heads-up."

Heard on WSB news at 8:30 this morning:

*That Dr. Brantley has been declared "cured" of ebola and will be released later today.

*That this decision was reached after "two blood tests taken over two days showed no ebola virus in his blood." (?--how is this possible? Have not several sources, including the WHO, said the virus still lurks in "body fluids" up to 7 weeks after contracting the illness? I don't 'think' it has been seven weeks yet, since he came to Atlanta---I'll have to count that up)

*That he will leave the hospital as he entered it--under his own power (walking) (isn't this against ALL medical protocol? in which case, it is being done as a publicity statement to ease ebola 'fears')

*That he and his family will then leave for "an undisclosed location."

*Nancy Writebol has ALSO been declared cured & ready for release, but exact details of when she will leave the hospital have not been given.

Emory University Hospital to announce release of American Ebola patients

Kent Brantly
Dr. Kent Brantly was serving as medical director for the Samaritan’s Purse Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Monrovia when he tested positive for Ebola.

Ebola patient releases statement about recovery gallery
Ebola patient releases statement about recovery
RAW VIDEO: Dr. Kent Brantly walks into Emory Hospital gallery
RAW VIDEO: Dr. Kent Brantly walks into Emory Hospital
Inside look at jet used in Ebola patients' transfers gallery
Inside look at jet used in Ebola patients' transfers
Ch. 2 gets tour of plane used to evacuate Ebola patients gallery
Ch. 2 gets tour of plane used to evacuate Ebola patients
Ambulance driver describes trek with Ebola patient gallery
Ambulance driver describes trek with Ebola patient
Ambulance carrying Ebola patient arrives at Emory gallery
Ambulance carrying Ebola patient arrives at Emory

ATLANTA —

Emory University Hospital will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to talk about the release of both Ebola patients currently being treated at the hospital. Dr. Kent Brantly is expected to be present at the news conference to make a statement.

Brantly arrived at the hospital Saturday, Aug. 2, where he walked in wearing a protective suit. A second Ebola patient, Nancy Writebol, arrived three days later.

Both patients have been kept in isolation inside the hospital as they received treatment for the virus.

The World Health Organization says the death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is now at least 1,350 people.

The latest figures Wednesday show that the deaths are mounting fastest in Liberia, which now accounts for at least 576 of the deaths.

In a previously released statement, Brantly talked about his work as a missionary in Liberia.

“My wife Amber and I, along with our two children, did not move to Liberia for the specific purpose of fighting Ebola. We went to Liberia because we believe God called us to serve Him at ELWA Hospital.

“One thing I have learned is that following God often leads us to unexpected places. When Ebola spread into Liberia, my usual hospital work turned more and more toward treating the increasing number of Ebola patients. I held the hands of countless individuals as this terrible disease took their lives away from them. I witnessed the horror firsthand, and I can still remember every face and name.

“When I started feeling ill on that Wednesday morning, I immediately isolated myself until the test confirmed my diagnosis three days later. When the result was positive, I remember a deep sense of peace that was beyond all understanding. God was reminding me of what He had taught me years ago, that He will give me everything I need to be faithful to him.”

In a previous statement from David Writebol, Nancy's husband, he talked about coming to Atlanta to visit his wife three weeks after she was transported from Liberia to Atlanta to receive treatment.

"I have had the great joy to be able to look through the isolation room glass and see my beautiful wife again. We both placed our hands on opposite sides of the glass, moved with tears to look at each other again. She was standing with her radiant smile, happy beyond words. She is continuing to slowly gain strength, eager for the day when the barriers separating us are set aside, and we can simply hold each other. We prayed together over the intercom, praising our great and mighty God for his goodness to us," David Writebol said.

The news conference at Emory University Hosptial will take place at 11 a.m. Brantly will make a statement at that time but will not take any questions.

The Associated Press contributed to this article

http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/local/first-american-ebola-patient-be-released-emory-uni/ng6Yx/

 

[Jubilee on Earth]

No Ebola in his blood? Wouldn't he have the antibodies? They need to be more specific about that.

Also, what about those rumors that Ebola could be transmitted sexually for up to 7 weeks afterward?

 

[Countrymouse]

I thought the going to "an undisclosed location" was interesting.

May be just to avoid the press, may be for family privacy...

may be for other reasons, that they won't tell the public--can't panic the people, you know, by telling them he's still possibly contagious for a good many more weeks still...there would be a furor over RELEASING him AT ALL if they did, I would think...

 

[Countrymouse]

You can WATCH the release & press conference LIVE:

11 am EDT
10 am CDT
9 am MDT
8 am PDT

Channel 2 Action News will have complete coverage of this developing story throughout the day. We will have multiple crews at the press conference which will be streamed on WSBTV.com. We will also have live reports about the latest developments starting on Channel 2 Action News at Noon.

Check back with www.WSBTV.com for the latest on this developing story as well.

 

[Countrymouse]

Has now hit all the major news outlets; here's the report from CBS--


NOTICE THE COMMENTS AT THE END--and all through the article---TRYING TO REASSURE EVERYONE THAT EBOLA IS NOT EASILY CAUGHT:

Dr. Kent Brantly being released from Atlanta hospital after Ebola treatment

Last Updated Aug 21, 2014 8:53 AM EDT

ATLANTA -- At least one of the two American aid workers who were infected with the deadly Ebola virus in Africa has recovered and was to be discharged Thursday from an Atlanta hospital, a spokeswoman for the aid group he was working for said.

Alison Geist, a spokeswoman for Samaritan's Purse, told The Associated Press she did not know the exact time Dr. Kent Brantly would be released but confirmed it would happen Thursday. Emory University Hospital planned to hold a news conference Thursday morning to discuss both patients' discharge.

Franklin Graham, president of North Carolina-based Samaritan's Purse, said in a statement that the group was celebrating Brantly's recovery. He has been in the hospital's isolation unit for nearly three weeks.

25 Photos
Ebola outbreak

"Today I join all of our Samaritan's Purse team around the world in giving thanks to God as we celebrate Dr. Kent Brantly's recovery from Ebola and release from the hospital," Graham's statement said.

"I know that Dr. Brantly and his wonderful family would ask that you please remember and pray for those in Africa battling, treating and suffering from Ebola. Those who have given up the comforts of home to serve the suffering and the less fortunate are in many ways just beginning this battle," the statement continued.

"We have more than 350 staff in Liberia, and others will soon be joining them, so please pray for those who have served with Dr. Brantly - along with the other doctors, aid workers and organizations that are at this very moment desperately trying to stop Ebola from taking any more lives."

Brantly was flown out of the west African nation of Liberia on Aug. 2, and Nancy Writebol followed Aug. 5. The two were infected while working at a missionary clinic outside Liberia's capital. Writebol was working for North Carolina-based aid group SIM. Representatives for the group did not respond to messages Thursday morning.

The Ebola outbreak has killed 1,350 people and counting across West Africa.

Play Video
Husband of American Ebola patient says she's improving

On Thursday in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, calm set in one day after residents in a slum that was sealed off in an effort to contain the outbreak clashed with riot police and soldiers. World Health Organization officials were visiting two hospitals that are treating Ebola patients and struggling to keep up with the influx of patients.

The death toll is rising most quickly in Liberia, which now accounts for at least 576 of the fatalities, the WHO said. At least 2,473 people have been sickened across West Africa - more than the caseloads of all the previous two-dozen Ebola outbreaks combined.

Ebola is only spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick people experiencing symptoms.

Play Video
Liberia's drastic step to contain Ebola outbreak

About 160 health care workers have been infected, including Brantly and Writebol, who were wearing protective gear to prevent infection.

That's been a big concern in the medical community, but CBS News correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports one possibility being strongly considered is that the two Americans were actually infected outside the Ebola ward, at dinner or some other setting where they would not have been expected to be wearing the protective equipment.

Writebol and Brantley apparently came in contact with a Liberian health care worker who was sick. He had at least a fever and several days later he died from Ebola.

Now, if it turns out that's how the two Americans got Ebola, it would actually be kind of reassuring because then you wouldn't have to invoke a problem with the protective equipment as the reason for them getting infected, LaPook says.


© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-kent...-from-atlanta-hospital-after-ebola-treatment/

 

[Hfcomms]

I still can't figure out how one minute some is so incredibly dangerous they are in a BL-4 containment facility and then the next minute they are "no threat" and be able to leave and be around the general public. I hope this doctor will impose a self quarantine on himself for the next month or two until all of his fluids test negative after running the tests several times!. You can't be too casual with this virus especially when they have never disclosed how he caught the virus when he followed all the protocols.

 

[Countrymouse]

From CNN: (WATCH the video at the link---it has some info not in the article below & it talks about the violence in Liberia from the people under forced military quarantine as well as the virus now spreading to Congo)

American Ebola patient to be released after clean blood tests

By Ben Brumfield and Jacque Wilson, CNN
updated 7:33 AM EDT, Thu August 21, 2014
Source: CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Kent Brantly contracted deadly Ebola virus in Liberia while fighting an outbreak
He and American Nancy Writebol were treated in an isolation facility in Atlanta
Brantly is the first known Ebola patient to recover in the U.S.
When the American patients arrived, many expressed fears of an outbreak in the U.S.

(CNN) -- Dr. Kent Brantly, who contracted the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa while helping fight its largest outbreak in recorded history, will be released from Atlanta's Emory University Hospital on Thursday, spokesman Vince Dollard said.

His blood tests have come back negative for the virus.

The hospital will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. ET, where Brantly will give a statement before leaving the hospital.

Emory will also have information on fellow missionary Nancy Writebol. Her husband recently said that she is regaining strength.

Both of them were evacuated from Liberia earlier this month in a plane specially equipped with an isolation tent and accompanied by medical staff outfitted in head-to-foot protective clothing.


The plane was able to take only one patient at a time and made two trips to get them both.

The two Americans were taken to an isolation unit at Emory University Hospital, where Writebol was also treated.

Both patients were able to walk when they arrived, stepping out of the ambulance on foot, dressed in biohazard suits.

Joy and relief

Brantly was in Liberia for faith-based charity Samaritan's Purse, and its president, Franklin Graham expressed joy over the doctor's release.

"Today I join all of our Samaritan's Purse team around the world in giving thanks to God as we celebrate Dr. Kent Brantly's recovery from Ebola," he said.

Writebol's husband David, who was with her in Africa, visited her at Emory on Sunday, he said in a statement. She is recovering, he said.

He stood outside the isolation room, as they looked at each other through the glass.

"We both placed our hands on opposite sides of the glass, moved with tears to look at each other again," he said.

Experimental medication

For Brantly to leave isolation, two blood tests done in a two-day period had to come back negative.

The Ebola virus spreads via direct contact with bodily fluids, like blood, sweat and feces. Brantly's will no longer be infectious.

There is a slight possibility that the virus could linger for up to three months in his semen, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus has no known cure, and left untreated, infections can be deadly in up to 90% of cases. Nearly half the patients receiving medical care in the current outbreak in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Guinea are surviving.

Treatment consists of giving fluids, monitoring vital signs and responding to acute medical crises. Symptoms include fever, aches, diarrhea and bleeding.

Brantly and Writebol also received an experimental drug called ZMapp, which was also given to three healthcare workers in Liberia, who appear to be recovering.

Brantly and Writebol were the first known people infected with Ebola to enter the United States.

Their arrival triggered a surge of angst on social media from people afraid the patients could spread the virus.

But experts have said that additional infected people could cross U.S. borders by happenstance, given the proliferation of international air travel and the enormity of the current outbreak.

But they have dismissed the notion that infection could spread significantly in the country, thus turning into an outbreak.

Record outbreak

More than 1,350 people have died in the West African Ebola outbreak since the first cases drew attention in March, the WHO said on Wednesday.

Aid workers are fighting an uphill battle to stop the disease, as it continues to spread. Financial and human resources have been stretched.

An emergency research "all call" was issued Thursday by medical charity Wellcome Trust and United Kingdom's Department for International Development to find a drug to stop the outbreak.

They are making $10.8 million available to fund research. Wellcome Trust is committing another $66.5 million to the development of health research scientists in Africa, who are studying many deadly diseases there.

Canada's public health agency had 800 to 1,000 doses of a vaccine known as VSV-EBOV delivered to health officials in Liberia last week.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/21/health/ebola-patient-release/index.html

 

[naturallysweet]

I'd be fine with this if they were moving him to a house in the middle of nowhere, where he would have no contact with anyone for 3 months. But he's just going to go out in society, and might still be shedding the virus.

They are playing Russian Roulette with our lives.

 

[Countrymouse]

I still can't figure out how one minute some is so incredibly dangerous they are in a BL-4 containment facility and then the next minute they are "no threat" and be able to leave and be around the general public. I hope this doctor will impose a self quarantine on himself for the next month or two until all of his fluids test negative after running the tests several times!. You can't be too casual with this virus especially when they have never disclosed how he caught the virus when he followed all the protocols.

Did you notice also the last comment in the CBS article?

One point CDC and its doctors had no answer for was---"IF" the doctor and nurse WERE following ALL sanitary / protective protocols--and they SAID they WERE---then HOW did they catch the disease?

There are only three possibilities:

1. They actually WEREN'T correctly following all protocols

2. They followed all protocols, but the disease if FAR more contagious / easily spread than previously thought

3. They followed all protocols, but the disease can be spread OUTSIDE the clinic by casual contact far more easily than previously thought.

The CBS article makes it clear that THAT is the SPIN that CDC is beginning to put on it--that it was some "casual" contact with an infected patient OUTSIDE the hospital setting (and thus NOT in protective gear)--that led to them catching it.

Thus they are STILL saying "you can only get it from an infected patient showing symptoms" but somehow it just "slipped by" Brantley and Writebol and they 'accidentally' came into contact somewhere / somehow with some infected person that we will probably never know exactly the details of.


uh-huh.

 

[Vtshooter]

Off topic, but wondering; if you survive Ebola does your body have a resistance to future exposures, or will you get it again?

 

[Dennis Olson]

Ebola is only spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick people experiencing symptoms.


I can't BELIEVE the MSM is still promulgating this outright LIE. Even the CDC has admitted that the above statement is patently FALSE!

 

[Dux]

What happens to the virus once it goes down the sewer system?

 

[NoPlugsNM]

Well . . since there are several known STRAINS of Ebola, and they have not actually told us which strain this person had, he could have had a lesser threatening strain that has a higher recovery rate. In any event, I hope they continue to monitor his blood, two negative tests are not really enough to declare him cured.


NP

 

[Countrymouse]

OH MY GOD.


WSB radio just NOW reported that NANCY WRITEBOL HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED EARLY THIS MORNING.


Why the secrecy?

 

[dogmanan]

I would say it's only a matter of time a few short weeks and we will all know somebody dying with this bug.

 

[Countrymouse]

I had a thought about Nancy's release---and this I think VERY likely:

Just yesterday I read how her husband met with her (separated by the glass of her containment room; they kept talking about the poignant scene of she and her husband putting their hands on opposite sides of the glass & crying over being reunited)--an the article say she is weak but improving.


If she is still "weak," then it is VERY likely that SHE, at least, WAS released either in a wheelchair or possibly even on a gurney to go "home" to finish recuperating.

And since the CDC is apparently TRYING TO DOWNPLAY the seriousness of ebola and "prevent panic," and to maintain the fantasy that "We have ebola under control" (a statement Dr. Frieden of CDC has made more than once)---THEN it makes SENSE that they want to make a MEDIA SHOW of Dr. Brantley (younger and stronger than Nancy Writebol) WALKING out of the hospital under his own power, and giving a news conference---

but that they would SNEAK Nancy Writebol out quietly, since she is still "weak" and most likely unable to "walk out under her own power" as Brantley will--

to leave everyone with the impression that this Ebola thing isn't so bad after all, and that the "government" (CDC) has things well in hand.

 

[Baloo]

I would say it's only a matter of time a few short weeks and we will all know somebody dying with this bug.

Only if two things are true:

(1) It lives on fomites; Canada says this: "SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: The virus can survive in liquid or dried material for a number of days" http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/lab-bio/res/psds-ftss/ebola-eng.php

AND

(2) Once outside the host it doesn't die within seconds from something like sunlight for example. I don't know this answer. I've read that UV light kills it, but don't know what that means--UV sterilization or sun?

 

[dogmanan]

Only if two things are true:

(1) It lives on fomites; Canada says this: "SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: The virus can survive in liquid or dried material for a number of days" http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/lab-bio/res/psds-ftss/ebola-eng.php

AND

(2) Once outside the host it doesn't die within seconds from something like sunlight for example. I don't know this answer. I've read that UV light kills it, but don't know what that means--UV sterilization or sun?

Good point we will see which one is correct my post or your post soon enough, I would think.

 

[Baloo]

Just saw this--looks like simulated sunlight (but how much?) kills it but may still leave some around to infect people:

"Sagripanti et al. have carried out experiments with simulated sunlight in BSL4 laboratories, exposing Ebola virus to UV light “for selected times up to 30 s” [10]. 3%–4% of the Ebola virus population survived due to virus being shielded in cellular debris."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939489/

 

[Baloo]

Found the article about existence on surfaces/UV radiation.

http://nihbrp.com/Citations/complet..._of_pathogens/Sagrapanti_Sensitivity_2011.pdf

 

[Countrymouse]

TUNE IN TO LIVE NEWS CONFERENCE & RELEASE OF EBOLA PATIENT DR. BRANTLEY:

www.wsbtv.com

www.wsbradio.com

 

[Countrymouse]

OH MY GOD.


WSB radio just NOW reported that NANCY WRITEBOL HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED EARLY THIS MORNING.


Why the secrecy?

Nancy Writebol

AP
Ebola patient Nancy Writebol discharged from Emory Hospital

As Emory University Hospital sets to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to talk about the release of both Ebola patients, reports confirm Nancy Writebol has already been discharged and is no longer a patient at Emory University Hospital.

www.wsbradio.com

 

[Hfcomms]

Angels fear to tread where fools rush in. Ebola is one of the most deadly viruses known to man. Apparently it's not yet as easy to catch as the common cold/flu but we might only be one mutation away from that. The glib responses from government and the medical professionals in the west are frankly astounding considering what is going on in parts of Africa right now. Pestilence is one of the four horsemen and were feeding that stallion sugar cubes by hand.

 

[Countrymouse]

Ok, news conference on now---


they have all the Emory staff / nurses who worked with the patients standing there in their scrubs smiling and laughing on the stage.

 

[Countrymouse]

Dr. Brantley just came in---standing on stage. His wife is holding his arm:

 

[dogmanan]

In two words SMOKE SCREEN.

 

[Countrymouse]

After a rigorous course of treatment and other tests, we have determined he is recovered from ebola virus and can return to his family and to public life without any public helalth concerns

The staff at Emory is confident that the release of both these patients presents NO PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT.

They respect Mrs. Writebols desires for privacy, so will be making no further public comments regarding her (such as to where she is, etc.)

(lots of talk about no fear, no panic, re Ebola)

WE CANNOT LET OUR FEARS DICTATE OUR ACTIONS---WE MUST ALL CARE.

At Emory, our mission is to heal and to advance knowledge.

We are grateful for the successful outcome in this case, but we are never going to take success for granted.

(gives recognition to CDC, FDA, and state epidemiologists of North and South Carolina).

Dr. Brantley will give a statement BUT WILL NOT TAKE ANY QUESTIONS (this is opposite what they said yesterday he would do)

 

[Dennis Olson]

Actually, I think "smokescreen" is one word...

 

[Countrymouse]

Dr. Brantley now speaking:

 

[Lilbitsnana]

OH MY GOD.


WSB radio just NOW reported that NANCY WRITEBOL HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED EARLY THIS MORNING.


Why the secrecy?

Actually, the news conference the main doc in charge said she went home (discharged) Tuesday, 8/19

 

[Countrymouse]

Dr. Brantley's message is mostly recounting how he first realized he had contracted the disease ("on July 23, I woke up feeling under the weather"), and an expression of thanks to God and to all who had prayed for him.

"But what I can tell you is that I serve a faithful God who answers prayer."

He is now expressing thanks to Samaritan's Purse, to Emory Hospital, medical staff in isolation unit, and asks everyone to continue praying for those in Africa and and for a quick cure for the ebola crisis.

He said that Nancy Writebol "walked out of her isolation unit" and that "she and David are now spending some needed time together."

"After I have rested and regained some of my strength, I will tell more of my story, but for now we (he and his wife) need some time together."

More thanks to Samaritan's Purse, SIM, Emory, and above all, I am every thankful to God for sparing my life and I am thankful for any attraction my sickness has gained for the plight of those in Africa."

 

[Countrymouse]

Dr. Brantley is now going down the entire line of ALL the medical staff who waiting on him--all the doctors and all the nurses--and HUGGING every one of them.

 

[Countrymouse]

Dr. Brantley now leaves, to applause of the assembled:

 

[Countrymouse]

Actually, the news conference the main doc in charge said she went home Tuesday, 8/19

I missed that, thanks---WSB radio said at 10:30 she had been released EARLIER TODAY.

It is SO OBVIOUS that Emory and the CDC are CONSPIRING TOGETHER to make SURE the impression everyone is left with is "We have everything under control and there is NO need to fear!!!"

Which is pretty much what the WSB reporter was saying as Dr. Brantley walked out.

 

[Hfcomms]

Wow! Doctor is saying criteria for release is no virus detected in the blood (only??) and the patient feeling better for three days? Thats it? Unbelievable? No other body fluids tested to make sure no virus? He's also saying this is a learning experience and they really didn't know what to expect.

 

[ainitfunny]

All I can say about this photo is YOU FOOLISHLY BET YOUR LIFE that he is Ebola free, ADMITTING how LITTLE WE KNOW about the disease. FOOLISH just to "make a statement" ( SEE Joe Sixpack, don't worry, he must be uninfectious if WE even hug him!! ) to reassure the public by the hugging. That wasn't necessary. Ebola has been proving NOT ALL THAT CONSISTENT in it's presentation, treatment AND PARTICULARLY FALSE "RECOVERIES!"

 

[Countrymouse]

WSB TV no longer carrying live coverage; news conference still being covered on WSB RADIO (www.wsbradio.com) but it sounds like even they may be about to break away.

Never mind--THEY also just broke away at 11:30 am;


NOTHING TO SEE HERE----MOVE ALONG......

 

[Countrymouse]

Wow! Doctor is saying criteria for release is no virus detected in the blood (only??) and the patient feeling better for three days? Thats it? Unbelievable? No other body fluids tested to make sure no virus? He's also saying this is a learning experience and they really didn't know what to expect.

God help us.

 

[Countrymouse]

WSB radio news at 11:30 am making a POINT of saying that the Emory Infectious Disease doctor at the news conference said the patients ARE NOT ANY LONGER CONTAGIOUS.

 

[FarmerJohn]

Off topic, but wondering; if you survive Ebola does your body have a resistance to future exposures, or will you get it again?

You are safe, and the antibodies to Ebola now found in your blood can be used to make more of the serum that may have helped save these two.